Modesty Enhancing Underpant for Women

ABSTRACT

Provided is an underpant for a female wearer that enhances the modesty of a female wearer when the underpant is worn under tight-fitting carments

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an undergarment, specifically and underpant, or panty, for a female wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garments, especially those made of fabrics that comprise a high percentage, which can be up to 100%, of highly elastic fibers such as those sold under the trademarks Lycra® or Spandex® (fibers of polyurethane—polyurea copolymers), to mention just two, are today popular with female consumers. Such garments are popular for both fashion and functional reasons—flattering the female figure, and providing comfort and muscle support in active or athletic wear. Examples of such tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garments include fashion wear, for example slacks, so-called skinny jeans, and tights; as well as active or athletic wear, for example biking shorts, jogging shorts and tights, yoga pants, and ski pants, to mention just a few. It being recognized that any garment can perform both a fashion and functional role. How one “looks” while performing a particular activity is important for a significant portion of female consumers.

However, tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garments often have a significant drawback for female wearers. Because the garments are so form-fitting, they tightly hug the genital area and the outline of the genitalia of a female wearer, especially the labia majora and the urino-sexual opening, are plainly visible, resulting in the phenomenon colloquially known as “camel toe”. This can be an embarrassment and deterrent for female wearers who wish to enjoy the fashionable and functional benefits of tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garments, but who also wish to maintain their modesty with respect to exposing intimate areas of their body.

Manufacturers of active wear and athletic garments have attempted to address this embarrassing problem of “camel toe”. However, this has often required broader, thicker seams in the genital area to reinforce the garment in the genital area to retard deformation of the garment in that area and prevent it from hugging the genitalia. However, broader seams interrupt the smooth appearance—the line—of the garment from without, and can cause chaffing and irritation for the wearer, especially during physical activity. The present invention solves this problem by providing a comfortable undergarment (female underpant) that can be worn under a plethora of tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garments to comfortably enhance the modesty of the female wearer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a modesty-enhancing underpant of the present invention as viewed facing a female wearer (not depicted in FIG. 1 and not part of the invention) and is not to scale.

FIG. 2 is a cut away cross section of a modesty-enhancing underpant of the present invention viewed in a plane that bisects the underpant, left to right, as viewed by an observer facing a hypothetical wearer (not depicted in FIG. 2 and not part of the invention) and is not to scale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a modesty-enhancing underpant for a female wearer, which underpant can be a brief, boy short, bikini panty, or thong, to mention just a few, having as an essential feature a modesty enhancing portion [140] having an outer member [145], an inner member [160], and, juxtaposed between them, a modesty panel [150] that is fabricated of an elastic material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein in connection with a measured quantity, about refers to that variation in the measured quantity as would be expected by the skilled artisan performing the measurement and exercising a level of care commensurate with the purpose of the measurement and the precision of the measurement equipment employed.

The present invention provides a modesty-enhancing underpant [100] for females. When worn under a tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garment, the modesty-enhancing underpant prevents the outlines of the genitalia of a female wearer from being visible from without through the tight, form-fitting, body-hugging garment. The modesty enhancing underpant comprising a shell [110] having top opening [120] for receiving the pelvic area of a female wearer. The top opening having a top opening edge [125]. The underpant further having left and right leg openings [130 a, 130 b] for receiving the left and right legs, respectively, of a female wearer. Each leg opening having a leg opening edge [135 a, 135 b].

The modesty-enhancing underpant has a modesty-enhancing portion [140]. The modesty-enhancing portion is positioned within the underpant such that, when the underpant is worn, the modesty-enhancing portion extends from proximate the symphysis pubis into and terminating in the perineum of a female wearer. The particular dimensions of the modesty-enhancing portion will depend on the size and weight (that is the clothing size) of the female wearer for whom the underpant is intended.

Modesty-enhancing portion [140] includes outer member [145] that is a portion of shell [110], located between the leg openings, in a region of the shell where the distance between the respective leg opening edges is minimized, i.e. the crotch area. This portion of the shell is denominated outer member [145] of the modesty enhancing portion of the underpant.

The modesty enhancing potion also includes inner member [160], an upward facing surface of which contacts the genital area of a wearer when the underpant is worn. The inner member has a perimeter, or “edge”, the entirety of which is fixedly attached, e.g. by gluing or preferably sewing, to the shell. The lines of fixed attachment of the inner member to the shell define the portion of the shell that is the outer member and, hence, define the boundaries of modesty-enhancing portion [140].

Applicant has unexpectedly discovered that wearer acceptance and satisfaction is improved when the fabric of which the inner member is fabricated has a R_(et) value (hereafter Ret value) of 13 or less, preferably 8 or less. Ret value is measured according to ISO 11092:1993 (ICS 59.080.01, International Organization for Standardization; 1 Ch. de la Voie-Creuse, SP 56, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland).

Although any fabric commonly used in women's undergarments can be used to fabricate the inner member, cotton is a preferred fabric from which to fabricate the inner member. Cotton fabric having a Ret value of 8 or less is a particularly preferred fabric from which to fabricate the inner member.

Modesty-enhancing portion [140] includes, as an essential element, modesty panel [150]. The modesty panel is fabricated of an elastomeric material. That is, a material that is pliable and resilient at least down to a temperature of -10° C.

Many elastomeric materials suitable for use in the practice of the present invention are known in the art, a selection of these is described in Handbook of Elastomers, Second Edition (Anil K. Bhowmick and Howard Stephens, eds. Plastics Engineering 2000).

Preferred elastomers for use in fabricating the modesty panel include ethylene-propylene (EP) elastomers, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) elastomers, and silicone elastomers. Silicone elastomers are particularly preferred materials for fabrication of modesty panel [150].

The elastomeric material can be solid, of uniform composition throughout. Or it can be foamed. Solid elastomeric materials are preferred. Solid silicone elastomers, free of other than a de minimis amount of fillers, are particularly preferred materials of construction for the modesty panel.

Elastomeric materials useful as materials of construction for modesty panel [150] have a Shore A Durometer hardess (ASTM D2240; ISO 7619) of about 10 to about 40. Elastomeric materials that are foamed can of course have Shore A Duromerter values towards the lower-end of this range. Solid elastomeric silicone materials having a Shore A Durometer hardness of 25+/−5 are well suited for use in fabricating the modesty panel [150] of the present invention and are preferred. 

I claim:
 1. A modesty-enhancing underpant for females comprising: a) a shell, the shell having a top opening having a top opening edge for receiving the pelvic area of a female wearer, left and right leg openings for receiving the left and right legs, respectively, of a female wearer, each leg opening having a leg opening edge, and b) a modesty-enhancing portion, located in the underpant such that, when the underpant is worn, the modesty-enhancing portion extends from proximate the symphysis pubis into and terminates in the perineum of a female wearer, the modesty enhancing portion comprising; an outer member that is a portion of the shell between the leg openings of the underpant, a modesty panel fabricated of an elastomeric material, and an inner member, an upper surface of which contacts the genital area of a female wearer when the underpant is worn, the inner member being fabricated of a fabric having a Ret value of 13 or less as measured by ISO 11092:1993, and fixedly attached about its entire perimeter to the outer member, the attached perimeter defining the portion of the shell that is the outer member.
 2. The underpant of claim 1 wherein the fabric having a Ret value of 13 or less is a cotton fabric.
 3. The underpant of claim 2 wherein the cotton fabric has a Ret value of 8 or less.
 4. The underpant of claim 1 wherein the elastomeric material of which the modesty panel is fabricated is a solid elastomeric material having a Shore A durometer hardness of 10 to 40 and is selected from the group consisting of silicone elastomers, EP elastomers, and EPDM elastomers.
 5. The underpant of claim 4 wherein the elastomeric material of which the modesty panel is fabricated is a solid elastomeric material having a Shore A durometer hardness of 25+/−5.
 6. The underpant of claim 5 wherein the modesty panel has a thickness of about 1 mm to about 4 mm.
 7. The underpant of claim 6 wherein the solid elastomeric material of which the modesty panel is fabricated is a silicone elastomer.
 8. The underpant of claim 7 wherein the modesty panel has a thickness of about 1.5 mm to about 3.8 mm.
 9. The underpant of claim 6 wherein the modesty panel has a thickness of about 1.5 mm to about 3.8 mm.
 10. The underpant of claim 4 wherein the solid elastomeric material of which the modesty panel is fabricated is a silicone elastomer.
 11. The underpant of claim 10 wherein the modesty panel has a thickness of about 1.5 to about 3.8 mm.
 12. The underpant of claim 1 wherein the elastic material is foamed.
 13. A modesty-enhancing underpant for females comprising: a) a shell, the shell having a top opening having a top opening edge for receiving the pelvic area of a female wearer, left and right leg openings for receiving the left and right legs, respectively, of a female wearer, each leg opening having a leg opening edge, and b) a modesty-enhancing portion, located in the underpant such that, when the underpant is worn, the modesty-enhancing portion extends from proximate the symphysis pubis into and terminates in the perineum of a female wearer, the modesty enhancing portion comprising; a lower member that is a portion of the shell between the leg openings of the underpant, a modesty panel having a thickness of about 1.5 mm to about 3.8 mm and fabricated of a solid silicone elastomer having a Shore A durometer hardness of 25+/−5, and an upper member, an upper surface of which contacts the genital area of a female wearer when the underpant is worn, the upper member being fabricated of cotton fabric having a Ret value of 13 or less as measured by ISO 11092:1993, and fixedly attached about its entire perimeter to the lower member, the attached perimeter defining the portion of the shell that is the lower member.
 14. The underpant of claim 13 wherein the cotton fabric has a Ret value of 8 or less. 